Environmental Risk of Hospital Wastewater

Dana Sirbu1, Monica Popa1, Daniela Curseu1, Andrei Achimas-Cadariu2, and Ludovic Hegedűs3

1 Department of Environmental Health, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2 Department of Informatics, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
3 City Hospital of Huedin, Cluj County, Romania

Corresponding author: Dr. Dana Sirbu
    Cismigiu str. nr. 1, floor 2, ap 9
    RO-400032, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
    Telephone: 0040-264-599438
    E-mail: dana_m_sirbu@yahoo.com

CEJOEM 2005, Vol.11. No.4.: 281–287


Key words:
Hospital wastewaters, environmental risk, disinfectants, pharmaceuticals, human health risk

Abbreviations:
BOD5
COD
MPN
= 5-day biological oxygen demand 
= chemical oxygen demand
= most probable number of faecal bacteria
Pc 
SM
Vt
= pollutant concentration in the hospital effluents 
= suspended matter
= threshold values


Abstract:
Health-care units are sources of contamination to the environment through their wastewaters, loaded with pathogenic microorganisms (some of which are multiresistent to antibiotics), heavy metals, disinfectants, detergents, solvents, pharmaceuticals, and some radionuclides. Uncontrolled discharge from hospitals enhances the ecotoxicological risk for environment and toxic or infectious risk for humans. The aim of this study was to characterize from the microbiological and physicochemical points of view, the wastewaters of one of the University Hospitals in Cluj-Napoca (Romania), discharging all effluents from the various departments into the municipal sewage system without pretreatment. In the hospital studied and, maybe, in many others too, measures to reduce environmental risks, in order to be conform with the European Commission Directives, should be taken.


Received: 5 December 2005
Accepted: 22 March 2006

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